It is with a heavy heart that we must bring you the following news: Nissan’s Murano CrossCabriolet convertible crossover will die with the advent of the all-new 2015 Murano. While Nissan announced earlier this year that the current CrossCab would go out of production, we now have confirmation from a company representative that the model won’t be making a return for 2015. Like that creepy uncle whose lap you sat on as a kid, the CrossCabriolet was both a fixture of its time and something to be avoided. But it was unique and bold, a head-scratcher that somehow escaped Nissan’s product-planning net, and we sort of loved it.

Allegedly pushed through development by Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, the CrossCabriolet was a pricey experiment, requiring a significant reworking of the five-door Murano to accommodate the loss of its roof and to do away with its pair of rear doors. Sales were glacial, and we’ve heard there are several states that boast zero CrossCabriolet registrations. But let’s put Nissan’s decision in perspective. A few months before the CrossCab burst onto the scene in late 2010, Nissan had launched its quirky Juke crossover to surprisingly positive reception. The car had character, even though most folks found it ugly, and we found it fun to drive. With crossover and SUV sales rising—just as they still are today—Nissan likely figured it could bottle the Juke’s lightning. Instead, its second roll of the dice turned up snake eyes.

Like so many avant-garde projects before it—contemporary art, electricity, witchcraft—however, the CrossCabriolet was met with mocking, confusion, and calls to burn it at the stake. It seems no one wanted an all-wheel-drive, two-door crossover with a soft top and a $40K-plus sticker. We admit to occasionally (and gleefully) joining this chorus, but at the same time, we secretly applauded the sheer chutzpah of it all.

Hindsight is 20-20, but we think two factors brushed the CrossCabriolet just off its mark. For starters, the outgoing Murano looked like a chubby, squinting Halloween pumpkin, an aesthetic not helped by the droptop’s bustle butt. Also, making it a two-door removed not only easy rear-seat access, but also the opportunity to create a cool, four-door convertible. It’s a shame to see the Murano CrossCabriolet go, because we think the 2015 Murano’s concept-car looks would actually suit a topless version. We only hope the thing’s departure doesn’t dissuade other automakers from taking risks, because as homogeneity slowly spreads through the industry’s nervous system, we need outliers to remind us that designers haven’t fallen asleep at their pens. Plus, what’s going to be the butt of our jokes now? Mitsubishi’s Mirage? Too easy . . .